Pacifier While Sleeping

I dont know that finding the paci is the best option but you might try putting multiples in the crib so she has a better chance of finding at least one of them. Really though I didnt have much luck until my son was at least 6 months old and even then it took awhile.

I am a mother of 4 boys - ages 11, 9, 5 and just turned 1 year old. I have experienced A LOT in all these years when it comes to sleeping. I will be honest with you - you are teaching your baby what is called a "sleep association" and she will continue to need that paci until you teach her to sleep without it. Now - I shouldn't say that is the case for 100% of babies, but it's a very good chance that she will. All of us need something to sleep well (a sleep association) - whether it's a certain type of pillow, a blanket, etc... If you rolled over in the middle of the night and found that your pillow or blanket was missing, you would wake right up and not be able to or sleep until you had it back under your head or pulled back over your body. Babies are no different. If they fall asleep with a paci in their mouth, what do you think will happen if they wake up a little bit and it's not there? They will freak out until it's back where they want it. If she learns to sleep without it, she will get a much better sleep and so will you and she will not NEED it in the middle of the night. I know there are a lot of moms who shudder at hearing the name "Dr. Ferber", but I'm telling you, his book saved my life. It is the most educational book out there on sleep habits. He has actually done the studies so his book is not just based on OPINIONS. I highly recommend reading his book. You will not regret it. I know it's a tough situation - I've been there! Good luck!

My daughter is 14 months and she only uses a pacifier to sleep. It helps tremendously,but it is a double-edged sword. I went through the same thing when she was little. First of all, once she got to the point where she could really fall into a deep sleep (which was around 4-5 months), her pacifier would fall out and she didn't even wake, although she would still dream that she was sucking. So if your baby starts sleeping very soundly, she will probably stop waking when she loses it. But, seeing as how you said that her brother is a light sleeper, she may be as well. In that case, I would invest in 5-6 pacifiers and leave them in the crib with her. If she spends time in the crib during the day, she will learn that they are there and she can find them if she wants one. Then at night, she will automatically search for one and pop it in herself.

My daughter is 21 months and I am still getting up at least once a night to find her lost pacifier. I should have cut her off a long time ago.

My daughter experienced the same thing. I would help her out in the night until she was about 5-6 mo old. Then I let her cry and fuss a few nights and eventually she would either give up and go back to sleep or learn how to find it herself and put it back in. Whatever she ended up doing worked great because she had learned to put herself back to sleep and I could get rest as well! I new she was safe and not seriously troubled so I was okay in letting her cry. It did not last long and I would just sit in my room and listen until she quieted back down. She became in control of her sleep pretty quickly. Good luck!

teach her how to suck her thumb:) hee hee
I am going through this right now but I am the pacifier, I wake about 2-3 times a night to help him back to sleep until he can learn to settle down on his own. I know it is all short lived. Hang in there:)

I never used a pacifier, so I'll be no help there. I do think you should read some books on baby sleep to help you understand what's "normal" and what's developmentally appropriate to expect when it comes to sleep. Elizabeth Pantley has the books the No Cry Sleep Solution and the No Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers. Both might help your kids adjust to this new life. Ferber, while having a harsh reputation, also wrote a book. He actually DID those sleep studies, so he's a good resource from which to learn.

I believe that about 3-4 months (depending on the child and the mom) is ready to soothe themselves. My youngest never would use a pacifier but when it came to self soothing he did it. At three months we started putting him in his crib for bed and he would cry a little and after about 2-3 days of random crying he would put himself to sleep. My daughter however was a pacifier user and she couldn’t sleep without it (we heavily relied on it to soothe her and it bit us in the rear), the older she got the worse it got especially if we went anywhere and forgot it (she would cry forever). When she turned 1 we decided to remove it along with her bottles. We dealt with just about 4 nights of screaming before she gave up and realized it was gone. Personally I don’t have anything against pacifiers but I don’t think I will ever rely on one again because that was truly difficult for us. I think if it falls out of their mouth then it falls out; try not to rush over for that reason because she will expect it and it will get worse, also she won’t learn to soothe herself without the aid of the pacifier. Congratulations and good luck :)

Hi T.,
I don't think she's going to be putting it back in herself for a few more months :( Just developmentally too early. Sorry.
t

My girl learned to grab her binky at night when she was around 5 months old. We also co-slept until around 7 months. I would let her fall asleep with her binky and keep a few extras on my nightstand so if she woke up wanting it and I couldn't find it with a quick hand swipe, I could just reach over and grab another. Also, you might try taking it away from her as soon as she's all the way asleep--that way she knows that she CAN sleep without it. Good luck!

I just found out about this crazy pacifier called the wabanub plush toy pacifier. It looks really goofy, but my friend's 3 month old can find and retrieve this one by herself! Google wabanub to find it.
Best wishes.
K.